Agree with all your points about MAGA attempts to conflate Kirk's murder, which was white-on-white violence, to Floyd's murder, which was a public execution by cops of a Black man. I think another reason MAGAs are getting more unhinged, louder, and shriller every day is because they are disappointed in the lack of reaction to Kirk's murder. Many dependable Republican voters have no idea who Kirk is. As more information is reported about who Tyler Robinson is (white, Republican, Mormon, raised by gun nuts, high school graduate, socially awkward, associated with online groyper community) it becomes clear he was another fame seeking nut with easy access to deadly weapons. It's not the narrative MAGAs want, but it also isn't the sort of narrative that brings hundreds of thousands of mourners out into the streets for peaceful marches and protests. This is what is getting under their skin. They want hundreds of thousands of MAGAs marching and protesting for weeks and months. It won't happen, but they really want it to happen.
It will be interesting to see what happens if Robinson is tried. Kirk's minions immediately removed his dead body from the crime scene, throwing it into an SUV and speeding away. Given the severity of his wound, it is clear he was dead before he hit the ground. An autopsy will establish this fact. Removing a body from a crime scene contaminates the scene, and any evidence at the scene. Further, people were permitted to wander about the murder site, picking up gruesome souvenirs. A decent criminal defense lawyer can ensure nothing from the murder site is admissible as evidence. The ridiculous and inflammatory public comments made by the governor of Utah, the FBI director, the US AG, President Pedochet, and all the MAGA talking hairdos who can't stop making baseless, inflammatory accusations and speculations contaminate the jury pool. Maybe Tyler Robinson will end up being the MAGA equivalent of Kyle Rittenhouse. We all remember how they celebrated "liberal tears" over that miscarriage of justice. Let's see how they react if Robinson is acquitted.
I agree. I interpret the "our George Floyd" comment as seeing the murder of Kirk as an opportunity to mobilize the right wing in the way that people were mobilized after Floyd's murder. But, as you and Stephen point out, there's a big difference between having a persecution complex and actually being persecuted.
I’m late to your post today, Stephen, because most of this day I’ve been too sick at my stomach and too overcome with grief and rage to form a coherent thought. Here’s what I know:
David Brooks is, and always has been, a conservative asshat.
Donny Jr. is a POS who is never gonna get Daddy’s love.
Thank you, once again, for your stark truth-telling.
They’re running this as a test—if they can force everyone into adequately mourning their martyr then there’s no telling what they can force next. And the cowed response from the Democrats, the complicity of the MSM, it all showed the power of MAGA. We are in for a dark winter.
It is interesting to me that you referenced the murder of John Lennon by MDC.
Interesting, because it has occurred to me that this murder might have more in common with that horrific tragedy than any other outright political assassination or attempt. The true motive being less of an expression of any political desire or ideology and more of an act of self-celebrification by the murderer, something that appears to be a motive In several high-profile murders.
I sense that perhaps you had a similar perception.
As of right now no one has any idea why Kirk was shot. Hasn’t stopped MAGA from calling for liberal blood, which I expect from disgusting people, but equally stupid are the liberals who still call it “political violence”. For all we know he was shot because he owed someone money. But why let it get in the way of a narrative?
Admittedly liberals got this wrong in the past—when Gabby Giffords was shot they crowed about how it was due to extreme Tea Party rhetoric…until it turned out the shooter was just completely bonkers and thought Giffords was sending signals into his brain. Sometimes it helps to wait it out and in the meantime make the safer assumption that we live in a heavily armed and violent society and apparently we love killing each other.
Yes, thanks, it is frustrating to see Kirk's murder and the attempt on Trump's life presented as a rational act (to the extent that political murder is "rational"). But this isn't John Wilkes Booth shooting Lincoln. It is more in line with Reagan's attempted assassination.
Apples to oranges when they compare these two murders. Not like anyone is deserving of this end but to compare the two is nothing more than a racist dog whistle to me. No one on the right cared one iota about Floyd until they could use it as another way to divide us into Black and white, them vs us.
It is hard to comment on this reality as it must be hard to write about, or maybe it isn't? In any case, no this is not Brooks and friends' George Floyd moment!
“It sounds a little too gleeful, as if David Brooks’ buddies feel as if they’re finally receiving something they were unfairly denied.”
I will never, for the life of me understand MAGA’s jealousy over other’s persecution. They so desperately want to be the ones suffering, or rather seen as the ones suffering.
Is it unresolved childhood trauma? Something about the cruel nature of the MAGA movement that expects the volk to be emotionless automations? I’m not a psychiatrist, but this thirst to be seen to be seen as persecuted suffering permeates far-right cultures.
Hence their disgust with any kind of structural analysis and their insistence on breaking everything down to atomised individual events. They are allergic to context.
Thank you for taking the time to breaking down the power imbalance in these scenarios.
Always remember, there's a lot of clicks and clout to be had by playing in our faces.
And of course, we must always keep in mind that the rightwing media human centipede is getting on the same page so as to help facilitate Herr Miller's new Reichstag Fire.
Interesting that they want this to be their George Floyd. For all that they pretend that his murder was justified, they know that it wasn't, and Floyd didn't deserve to die over a $20 bill. FWIW, CK didn't deserve to be killed, but as many have pointed out, CK himself thought it worth keeping the 2nd Amendment, and that his own fans agreed. Actually, CK and his fans never dreamed that HE would be a victim of gun violence, that was for others. But he, like all cons, have a twisted view of the 2nd Amendment - they ignore the "well regulated militia" part, and think that it means that there can be no limits to gun ownership in this country. That their interpretation will come back and bite any of them in the ass never occurs to them. It should now, but it doesn't seem to be.
That's one reason his agitprop is so useful to them, even if the person himself is replaceable (and a new hate troll will take his place indeed). Of course, this is a primary reason why the pricktator was elected again.
Agree with all your points about MAGA attempts to conflate Kirk's murder, which was white-on-white violence, to Floyd's murder, which was a public execution by cops of a Black man. I think another reason MAGAs are getting more unhinged, louder, and shriller every day is because they are disappointed in the lack of reaction to Kirk's murder. Many dependable Republican voters have no idea who Kirk is. As more information is reported about who Tyler Robinson is (white, Republican, Mormon, raised by gun nuts, high school graduate, socially awkward, associated with online groyper community) it becomes clear he was another fame seeking nut with easy access to deadly weapons. It's not the narrative MAGAs want, but it also isn't the sort of narrative that brings hundreds of thousands of mourners out into the streets for peaceful marches and protests. This is what is getting under their skin. They want hundreds of thousands of MAGAs marching and protesting for weeks and months. It won't happen, but they really want it to happen.
It will be interesting to see what happens if Robinson is tried. Kirk's minions immediately removed his dead body from the crime scene, throwing it into an SUV and speeding away. Given the severity of his wound, it is clear he was dead before he hit the ground. An autopsy will establish this fact. Removing a body from a crime scene contaminates the scene, and any evidence at the scene. Further, people were permitted to wander about the murder site, picking up gruesome souvenirs. A decent criminal defense lawyer can ensure nothing from the murder site is admissible as evidence. The ridiculous and inflammatory public comments made by the governor of Utah, the FBI director, the US AG, President Pedochet, and all the MAGA talking hairdos who can't stop making baseless, inflammatory accusations and speculations contaminate the jury pool. Maybe Tyler Robinson will end up being the MAGA equivalent of Kyle Rittenhouse. We all remember how they celebrated "liberal tears" over that miscarriage of justice. Let's see how they react if Robinson is acquitted.
I agree. I interpret the "our George Floyd" comment as seeing the murder of Kirk as an opportunity to mobilize the right wing in the way that people were mobilized after Floyd's murder. But, as you and Stephen point out, there's a big difference between having a persecution complex and actually being persecuted.
Great insights. Just need to point out that Tyler Robinson has not been convicted. Only charged. The story describes him as the killer.
I’m late to your post today, Stephen, because most of this day I’ve been too sick at my stomach and too overcome with grief and rage to form a coherent thought. Here’s what I know:
David Brooks is, and always has been, a conservative asshat.
Donny Jr. is a POS who is never gonna get Daddy’s love.
Thank you, once again, for your stark truth-telling.
Love your writing. Thoughtful, well researched, and on point.
Thanks so much!
They’re running this as a test—if they can force everyone into adequately mourning their martyr then there’s no telling what they can force next. And the cowed response from the Democrats, the complicity of the MSM, it all showed the power of MAGA. We are in for a dark winter.
"Our George Floyd" might be the most insulting Republican appropriation to date.
You are so right. I just... how much more can we argue directly with insanity? Anyway, thanks.
No fucking notes.
It is interesting to me that you referenced the murder of John Lennon by MDC.
Interesting, because it has occurred to me that this murder might have more in common with that horrific tragedy than any other outright political assassination or attempt. The true motive being less of an expression of any political desire or ideology and more of an act of self-celebrification by the murderer, something that appears to be a motive In several high-profile murders.
I sense that perhaps you had a similar perception.
As of right now no one has any idea why Kirk was shot. Hasn’t stopped MAGA from calling for liberal blood, which I expect from disgusting people, but equally stupid are the liberals who still call it “political violence”. For all we know he was shot because he owed someone money. But why let it get in the way of a narrative?
Admittedly liberals got this wrong in the past—when Gabby Giffords was shot they crowed about how it was due to extreme Tea Party rhetoric…until it turned out the shooter was just completely bonkers and thought Giffords was sending signals into his brain. Sometimes it helps to wait it out and in the meantime make the safer assumption that we live in a heavily armed and violent society and apparently we love killing each other.
It would be irresponsible not to speculate…
Point taken.
Admittedly I’m just going by my gut and intuition, but I don’t “feel” like it was “political violence” per se.
Yes, thanks, it is frustrating to see Kirk's murder and the attempt on Trump's life presented as a rational act (to the extent that political murder is "rational"). But this isn't John Wilkes Booth shooting Lincoln. It is more in line with Reagan's attempted assassination.
At least Lennon espoused peace and harmony in his gift to the world.
Of course, John Lennon was a wonderful human being.
This was solely an indictment of the motives of sociopathic murderers.
Apples to oranges when they compare these two murders. Not like anyone is deserving of this end but to compare the two is nothing more than a racist dog whistle to me. No one on the right cared one iota about Floyd until they could use it as another way to divide us into Black and white, them vs us.
It is hard to comment on this reality as it must be hard to write about, or maybe it isn't? In any case, no this is not Brooks and friends' George Floyd moment!
“It sounds a little too gleeful, as if David Brooks’ buddies feel as if they’re finally receiving something they were unfairly denied.”
I will never, for the life of me understand MAGA’s jealousy over other’s persecution. They so desperately want to be the ones suffering, or rather seen as the ones suffering.
Is it unresolved childhood trauma? Something about the cruel nature of the MAGA movement that expects the volk to be emotionless automations? I’m not a psychiatrist, but this thirst to be seen to be seen as persecuted suffering permeates far-right cultures.
Hence their disgust with any kind of structural analysis and their insistence on breaking everything down to atomised individual events. They are allergic to context.
Thank you for taking the time to breaking down the power imbalance in these scenarios.
Always remember, there's a lot of clicks and clout to be had by playing in our faces.
And of course, we must always keep in mind that the rightwing media human centipede is getting on the same page so as to help facilitate Herr Miller's new Reichstag Fire.
Interesting that they want this to be their George Floyd. For all that they pretend that his murder was justified, they know that it wasn't, and Floyd didn't deserve to die over a $20 bill. FWIW, CK didn't deserve to be killed, but as many have pointed out, CK himself thought it worth keeping the 2nd Amendment, and that his own fans agreed. Actually, CK and his fans never dreamed that HE would be a victim of gun violence, that was for others. But he, like all cons, have a twisted view of the 2nd Amendment - they ignore the "well regulated militia" part, and think that it means that there can be no limits to gun ownership in this country. That their interpretation will come back and bite any of them in the ass never occurs to them. It should now, but it doesn't seem to be.
Speaking of the dead hatemonger:
𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗨𝗦𝗔'𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝘀
https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/turning-point-usas-history-racism-and-white-nationalist-ties
That's one reason his agitprop is so useful to them, even if the person himself is replaceable (and a new hate troll will take his place indeed). Of course, this is a primary reason why the pricktator was elected again.